Euronews

Ukraine’s military has said that its forces have stopped the advance of a convoy of armoured vehicles that it says crossed the border from Russia.

Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council Spokesman Andriy Lysenko told a news conference that a “mixed convoy of armoured vehicles made up of 10 tanks, two infantry armoured vehicles and two ‘Ural’ lorries crossed over the border of Ukraine.”

Lysenko later added that two tanks in the column had been destroyed and several members of “an intelligence-sabotage group” had been seized.

“The area is now blocked by Ukrainian troops,” he said.

Lysenko also said he believed the convoy was an attempt “by the Russian military in the guise of Donbas fighters (rebels) to open a new area of military confrontation.”

Novoazovsk is located more than 100 kilometres from the rebel stronghold of Donetsk.